


Ukitake Adopts Everyone

by Acorn_With_A_Notebook



Category: Bleach
Genre: Character Death, F/F, Found Family, Ichigo probably needs therapy tbh, M/M, dad!Ukitake, it doesn't stick narrative wise and isn't depicted in detail but it still happens, no beta we die like men, shunsui is also a dad but pretends to be the fun uncle, will add character tags as they appear, will add relationship tags as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:22:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22913932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acorn_With_A_Notebook/pseuds/Acorn_With_A_Notebook
Summary: After a tragic accident in the World of the Living, Orihime and Chad must move on to the Soul Society. It's a big leap, both culturally and emotionally, but with the help of close friends and found family, they'll be alright.Takes place after Winter War, starting the summer after that happened, AU where Ichigo didn't need to lose his powers to beat Aizen. Ichigo and Orihime explained a bit about Shinigami to Tatsuki. I'm sorry for putting angst in the first chapter of what should be a fluff fic, but some things just have to be done. Will update when I have time between school work. The Bount Arc is canon with some modifications.
Relationships: Kyouraku Shunsui/Ukitake Juushirou, Past Inoue Orihime/Arisawa Tatsuki
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

Orihime and Chad's reiatsu was doing something weird. _Orihime and Chad's reiatsu was doing something weird_.

Ichigo dashed across the sky in his soul form. He had been holding a place in line with Tatsuki for a new movie that most of their group had wanted to see when he had felt it wash across his senses- something really _off_ happened with both Chad and Orihime's reiatsu. They had both _flickered into nothing_ for a heart-stopping moment, then came back up and continued steadily in a way that wasn't quite right. Like Chad and Orihime, only slightly to the left. So Ichigo left Tatsuki to look after Kon in his body and took off in the direction he felt his friends.

The air smelled vaguely of gasoline when Ichigo got there. It was just outside one of Orihime's favorite doughnut shops- they'd probably stopped there to pick up some treats to sneak into the theater for everyone. But the glass window front was shattered, glinting all over the sidewalk like freshly fallen snow. And there was a pick-up truck in the store, taking up nearly all the floor space and wobbling dangerously on its side.

_There was a pick-up truck in the store_.

Ichigo's heart might as well have been between his ears for how loudly it was hammering in his chest. He started striding towards the wreckage without even thinking. _This isn't real_ , he told himself. _This isn't real. This isn't_ real.

A strong hand caught him by the shoulder before he could get close enough to see anything. He felt relief plunge through his veins when he turned to see Chad's steady figure, Orihime right next to him, anxious but apparently unharmed.

And then Ichigo felt his entire circulatory system rip itself out when he saw the broken Chain of Fate hanging from each of their chests.

After a few heartbeats of time standing completely still, Ichigo flung himself at his friends and hooked his arms around them, burying his face in both of their shoulders. His arms weren't big enough to fully hold both of them at once, though. He couldn't think or breath or speak, all he could do was cling to them, _and his arms weren't big enough to hold both of them at once_.

Orihime had been holding strong through sheer force of will up to this point. But now, seeing Ichigo- strong, decisive, dependable Ichigo- blindly breaking down like this, she started to cry. Seeing Orihime cry, Ichigo's own eyes started to well up, which made Orihime cry even _more_ , which made Ichigo start _shaking_ , which pushed Orihime to _sobbing_ , and so on and so forth.

Finally, they both felt a steady hand reaching around their upper-backs. Chad rearranged them all so that he was holding both Ichigo and Orihime safely against his chest. Ichigo's arms may not have been big enough to hold both of his friends at once, but Chad's most certainly were.

Vaguely, Ichigo remembered Tatsuki, waiting in line with Kon for a movie that only half of her friends would show up to see. He had _no_ idea how anyone was going to explain this mess to her. He had no idea how to explain this mess to _himself_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One Week Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to clarify ahead of time- Central Seiji (政治 (せいじ)- system of government) is comprised of three parts: Central 46, the judiciary branch of 46 High Judges and the series of judiciary panels they direct; Central Clerical, which handles all non-Gotei related paperwork in the Seireitei (building permits, marriage licenses, adoption papers); and Central Planning, which handles public works projects, public infrastructure, and housing and food outreach in the Rukon. Along with the Gotei 13 and the Noble Court (the system of noble clans) Central Seiji is one of the three main branches of government int the Soul Society, and is currently undergoing some reforms in the wake of Aizen, along with the Noble Court.

Ichigo woke up on his futon, his arms still around Chad and a number of fluffy quilts layered over them. He didn't remember falling asleep on the futon; Jushiro must have tucked them properly into bed after they'd fallen asleep. He hoped it hadn't been too much trouble for him- Chad wasn't small, and Ichigo was built entirely of solid muscle and bony elbows, so neither boy was light or particularly easy to move.

"Good morning." Speak of the devil. Jushiro had slid the door open a crack and poked his head in to check on them.

"Mornin'," Ichigo croaked back without moving. He was very cozy where he was, and not quite ready to let go of Chad for the morning just yet. Truthfully he wasn't sure if he'd ever be ready to let go of Chad.

Jushiro smiled gently. "I'm heading out to work. Breakfast is ready whenever you're ready, Orihime's already there. Once you've got a start on the day, Ichigo, I'd like for you to report to my office. I've got a special assignment for you and Rukia." And then he was gone again, just as silently as he'd come.

Ichigo thought over the pros and cons of nudging Chad awake and trotting off to breakfast, or burrowing deeper under his pile of cozy Ukitake Quilts and holding his friend close a while longer. He'd had the same inner conflict every morning for the past six days (he would have faced it the past seven days, only they had stayed in the 13th's barracks that first day, and Kiyone and Kentarou had been _very_ enthusiastic to help any way they could). He wondered how many more mornings he'd have like this, fussing over Chad and Orihime at Ukitake's house, before he was sent back home to the Living World.

Chad shifted a bit in Ichigo's arms. He turned over, yawned deeply, and slowly blinked open his eyes, making Ichigo's decision for him, as he did every morning. When he was sufficiently conscious, he asked "Was someone here?" His eyes were still bleary with sleep.

"Yeah," Ichigo replied. "Jushiro said that breakfast was ready whenever we are. Orihime's already down there."

Chad nodded in return. He shifted and stood, stretching his back as he went and yawning all the way. He looked back to Ichigo, waiting. Once Ichigo was on his feet, they left what had unofficially been declared "Chad's Room" and headed for the porch where meals were typically served.

Ugendo was a nice place, all things considered. It was peaceful, standing half on stilts over a lake and half on a grassy knoll. It felt like it had been built to be a home for a big and close-knit family. Part of Ichigo wondered where the rest of that family was. The place was too well-prepared for guests for the rest of Ukitake's family to be particularly far.

"There you are!" Rukia exclaimed when they arrived at breakfast. "What kind of a shinigami are you?! Sleeping in so late so many days in a row! Where's your discipline!?" She berated them (mostly just Ichigo, actually, but Chad stood shoulder to shoulder with him for it).

"I... well..." Ichigo didn't quite have it in him to snipe back at her right then, so he just spluttered a few more false starts, then fell back on the old failsafe of calling her a midget, which got her frothing at the mouth a tiny bit, as usual.

While Rukia and Ichigo fell into the old patterns of bickering, Chad sat down with Orihime at the low table. He nodded to her and asked how she was doing.

"Oh, me?" Orihime blinked with a smile. Her eyes were red-rimmed, with puffy dark circles underneath. "I'm just fine," she lied. "I've been having a great time! It sure was nice of Ukitake-san to invite us to stay in his home, and Hitome-chan has been so welcoming, too! I'm happy to be here, really!"

Chad hummed in response as he served himself a bowl of rice. "You miss Tatsuki," he said. Orihime's eyes started to shine, and her lower lip looked dangerously close to quivering. Chad put down his bowl and opened his left arm, and Orihime fell into his side without a word. He held her in silence for a while. Having all their friends' support was nice, the best really, but sometimes you just needed to be held by someone who understood exactly what you were going through.

"Hey, Sado-kun?" Orihime ventured after some time. "Do you have anyone you miss?"

"Hmm," Chad thought for a moment. "I don't have any living relatives to mourn me, but my band mates, and some folks at the venues we would play at will probably miss me. I'm kind of sad that I won't see any of them again, either." He paused for a moment, contemplating whether to tell her the next part. "There was this one guy, the bass player and vocalist of a band that we would open for now and then. I... really liked him, though I don't know if he ever noticed me beyond my music. He told me once that I was pretty talented, and encouraged me to try to go professional, if I could. I was so happy I couldn't sleep at all that night." Chad paused to take a few sips of his tea. He didn't have much more to say about his crush on the kind bass-player-senpai.

Orihime looked down at her meal on the table. "It kind of feels like we're gonna miss out on a lot of stuff that was important to us, huh?" She said with a mournful smile. Chad nodded.

"Uh, hey," Rukia interrupted, pulling Ichigo along by his ear. "Will you two be okay here on your own for a bit? Ukitake Taichou should be back in a few hours for lunch."

"Of course!" Orihime chimed before Chad could ask where Rukia and Ichigo were going. "It's not like we'll be completely alone, anyway. Hitome-chan is here, too, after all." Hitome, and young woman with kind eyes and a waterfall of dark hair, was Ukitake's niece. She did most of the house work around Ugendo, and scolded Ukitake whenever she felt like he wasn't taking proper care of himself. Orihime had taken to friendship with Hitome like a duck to water, and Hitome had decided that Orihime would be the baby sister she never had.

"Alright then." Rukia nodded. "We'll see you later." And in a gust of flash step Rukia and Ichigo were gone, leaving Chad and Orihime to look out over the lake and eat their breakfast.

"You know," Chad said after a while, "if you wanted to exchange letters with Tatsuki, I bet you could get Ichigo or Urahara to run them back and forth for you."

Orihime brightened immediately. "Oh! You really think so? That would be wonderful, actually. I should find a camera so I can show Tacchan all the cute yukata that Hitome-chan picked out for me. And maybe I could press some flowers to send her, too. Ne, ne, what kind of flower means 'I miss you' in hanakotoba? Do you think Ukitake-san has a book about it somewhere around here?"

Chad smiled as he listened to Orihime's bubbly babble. They would be alright, he figured. It would take some time, but they would be alright.

***

Ukitake Jushiro was in his office, putting the finishing touches on the adoption paperwork for Yasutora-kun and Orihime-chan when Ichigo and Rukia came in. He quickly pushed it to the side and gave them both a bright "Good morning!"

"Good morning, Taichou!" Rukia bowed, then stood at perfect attention, her arms neatly folded behind her back. "I apologize for any inconvenience our tardiness may have caused. I assure you it was a one-time occurence."

"Uh, yeah," Ichigo said. "Sorry for being late." He looked about as well as could be expected for someone who hadn't slept well in the last week. Jushiro had been meaning to sit him down with some tea and touch base with him, and hopefully come up with a plan to help him cope with the situation a little better moving forward. Later in that evening would likely be an ideal time to do that.

"Don't worry about it," Jushiro assured them. "I was just wondering if the two of you would mind popping over to the World of the Living to collect some of Yasutora-kun's and Orihime-chan's things. Not too much, mind you, we have to at least pretend to not play favorites, after all. Just the most important things, to help them both settle in as best we can. I'd go myself, but I'm afraid I'm a bit bogged down by paperwork." He smiled and prayed that Rukia wouldn't ask what _kind_ of paperwork, and if she could be of any help.

"Of course!" Rukia declared, oblivious to her captain's sigh of relief. "Ichigo and I will retrieve the items with the greatest sentimental value, and return to Ugendo with them by nightfall."

Ichigo nodded. "I'll see if I can contact Tatsuki to help, since she knows Orihime the best." Jushiro noted that he looked a bit better now that he had a productive task to apply himself to. He really was so much like Kaien sometimes. Stealing a glance at the adoption papers on his desk, Jushiro wondered if anyone would notice or stop him if he added paperwork for Ichigo to the stack too. Well, it was certainly worth a shot.

"Thank you very much," he told them. I'm sure it'll mean the world to both Yasutora-kun and Orihime-chan, too, especially if it comes from the two of you. Oh, and Ichigo," he added, "before you head back to Ugendo, could you meet me fo a cup of tea this evening? I'd like to have a word with you in private."

Ichigo nodded affirmative, then he and Rukia bid their goodbyes and took off for the World of the Living. Once they were gone, Jushiro sent out a Hell Butterfly to Central Clerical to request that all the forms necessary for one more adoption be delivered to his office at the 13th (not that anyone need know whose adoption those forms were meant for), then set to work on some division business while he waited for them to arrive.

***

Jushiro swept back into Ugendo around lunchtime, grateful that his home was so close to his division's headquarters. When he stepped into the main entry hall, he was greeted with a scent that could _technically_ be lunch, but was just strange enough that he had some doubts.

"Ju-ji-chan!" Hitome exclaimed as she came barreling around a corner, Orihime right on her tail. "Welcome home!"

"Welcome home!" Orihime echoed in the best spirits she'd been in all week. Jushiro couldn't help but smile; it was a joy to see Hitome getting on so well with the baby sister she'd always wanted.

"My, how wonderful it is to come home to such a warm greeting. I must be the luckiest man in the world," he said.

"Ji-chan, Orihime-chan helped me make lunch today! I just _know_ you're going to love it," Hitome said in a cheery voice that left no room for Jushiro to _not_ love it, not without consequences.

"I'm sure I will," he said, smiling through his niece's hidden threat. She was so heartbreakingly like her late grandmother in so many ways. "Do either of you know where Yasutora-kun is?" Chad and Orihime had been nearly attached at the hip since arriving in the Soul Society, so it was odd to see one and not the other.

Hitome nodded. "I think he wandered somewhere up in the third floor east wing," she said. "Shun-ji-chan should be with him. he got here about an hour or so before you did.

"Of course he did," Jushiro laughed. "Nanao is going to have his hide for skipping out on paperwork again. I'll go collect those two for lunch."

Jushiro drifted down the halls of Ugendo to where Chad and Shunsui were. As he drew closer, the sound of a sanshin caught his ear. The notes were slow and halting, the work of a beginner no doubt, but beautiful none-the-less.

Poking his head around a doorway, he found Yasutora and Shunsui sitting on the tatami floor, Shunsui directing Chad's fingers to the proper positions for each note. Jushiro allowed himself a secret smile at the sight.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said as he put himself on the door's threshold.

"You're too beautiful to ever be considered an interruption, Ju-chan," Shunsui replied. "I was just showing our dear Sado-san around the sanshin, and music is always better with good company."

Chad ducked his head a bit. "I was wandering the house earlier, and I found it," he said. "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, you're free to explore as you wish," Jushiro reassured him. "I'm rather pleased you found that sanshin, actually. It's been far too long since there's been a musician in the house. In fact, why don't you keep that?"

"Are you sure?" Chad asked, mildly surprised.

"Definitely," Jushiro affirmed. "No how about you tuck that away in your room and head down for lunch?"

Chad nodded and left the room with a sort of silence that contradicted his size. Once he was gone, Shunsui came up from behind and slung his arms around Jushiro's waist.

"Funny thing about that sanshin," he said. "I know you only bought it just this week, if I remember correctly."

"Hm, I suppose I did."

"I wonder, was there a reason for that purchase?" Shunsui mused as he placed his head on Jushiro's shoulder.

Jushiro placed his hands over Shunsui's. "Rukia mentioned once or twice that Yasutora-kun is a musician at heart. I figured helping him find his way to Seireitei's musical scene would help him get settled here."

"You know," Shunsui said conspiratoriously, "I've got a Biwa lute lying around back home. Haven't used it in too long, so it could probably use some tuning, but learning to tune an instrument is always a good first lesson, anyway."

"I knew there was a reason I married you." Jushiro pecked a kiss on Shunsui's cheek. "Now come, lunch is ready. Orihime-chan and Hitome-chan are very exited to serve a new recipe, from what I understand.

He felt a shudder run through Shunsui. "Maybe I should have taken lunch in the office."

"Don't be so mean," Jushiro chastised. "You'll eat Orihime's recipe and you'll enjoy it."

"Maa, maa, if you insist," Shunsui said. "But I expect some very good tea to balance it out."

"When do I ever _not_ have very good tea?" Jushiro teased as he led Shunsui from the room and down to the porch where meals were typically served.

It really was wonderful, sitting down to a meal with his growing family. With his husband and the three children under his care (he would call them children as long as he could get away with it) Ugendo was beginning to feel more like a home than it had in years. Now if only he could get Rukia to make use of her room here more often, and he would of course have to open up the room he'd set aside for Ichigo sooner rather than later... Yes, he was getting to have quite the family, indeed.

After lunch, Jushiro walked Shunsui back to the 8th (where Nanao was waiting like a reckoning), then continued on to Central Clerical to file his adoption paperwork in person, just to make sure it went through without any issue. If the lady working one of the desks was surprised to see a _particular_ name on the paperwork, she didn't make much of a fuss over it, at least not when Jushiro was playing up his charm for all he was worth.

After that, he returned to his office at the 13th and picked up one of the latest squad budget report and set to the task of balancing it. He really wished he could promote Rukia already- unfortunately, it was still only June, and the Lieutenant's Exam wouldn't be held until December. He would just have to continue bearing through it for now, taking solace in the fact that come December he _would_ be able to promote her. He allowed himself a smug smile. After years of fighting the Kuchiki lawyers for custody of Rukia, he'd finally grasped success: the panel of judges assigned to the case by Central 46 deemed that the way Byakuya had handled Rukia's phony would-be execution reeked of neglect and endangerment, and awarded one Ukitake Jushiro 3/4 joint custody of her. The last 1/4 of custody he could do nothing about- Byakuya had named her his sole heir upon her initial adoption, so the Kuchiki Clan would always have a minimum 1/4 claim on her according to law- but at long last he could throw Byakuya's wretched no-promotions contract out the window and provide a room for her at Ugendo without some snotty Kuchiki aunt trying to marry her off to him.

(Jushiro wished he'd had a camera on him when he's informed Byakuya that Rukia had already made fourth seat. The poor boy had looked like he'd swallowed a lemon!)

Someone cleared their throat in his office doorway. He looked up to see Ichigo, looking uncharacteristically shy. Was it really that late already?

"Uh, you wanted to see me?" He said.

Jushiro smiled. "Yes, thank you for coming. I'll put on some tea for us. Just take a seat where ever you feel comfortable."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time- Ichigo and Rukia in the Living World! Tatsuki's feelings are addressed! Uryu does not know how to acknowledge his own emotions! Urahara is a Dad! Ichigo should probably get some therapy, but in absence of that Kisuke will make him some tea and try to be supportive in his own weird way!


End file.
